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The original item was published from 12/13/2016 3:54:29 PM to 12/13/2016 3:58:19 PM.

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Hampton History Museum

Posted on: December 13, 2016

[ARCHIVED] Kronprinz Wilhelm, Prinz Eitel Friedrich and the German Village

Learn the fascinating tale of German ships and crew living among us as war was brewing in Europe as told by Bill Edwards-Bodmer of Norfolk’s Slover Library.  At the beginning of World War I, two German commercial liners were commissioned auxiliary cruisers in the Imperial German Navy. They embarked on a brief, but successful, career terrorizing Allied shipping.  Running low on supplies and coal, both ships sought refuge and refitting at a neutral port by coming to Hampton Roads.  Choosing internment over destruction at the hands of the British navy, the ships’ stay in Hampton Roads began a remarkable and unique episode that tested America’s professed neutrality and showed the bonds that could exist between two future enemies.

Free and open to the public. Bring a bag lunch, we'll have free dessert for you.


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